NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Feb. 24, 2006--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that its ratings and outlook on FMC Corp. (BBB-/Positive/--) remain unchanged following FMC's announcement that it will initiate a quarterly cash dividend of $0.18 per share (about $27 million per year at the current share count) and that its board has authorized the repurchase of up to $150 million of the company's common stock. The share repurchases are currently expected to be completed over two years, but would likely be curtailed if sizable acquisition opportunities arise or market conditions worsen materially. In the absence of acquisitions or adverse market conditions, FMC should be able to finance these shareholder initiatives with cash on hand ($206 million at
